Common barcode technology is based on a laser emitting diode emitting a laser onto a subject barcode pattern and a reader reading the resulting reflected wave. This technology is unable to read barcodes displayed on PDA/mobile device screens or other liquid crystal displays. See Wu, et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0035925, published Feb. 26, 2004 providing an image processing system for reading barcodes scanned from PDA/cell phone screens.
Yet other systems deliver barcodes to and render the downloaded bar codes on display units of mobile devices. Examples include:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,093 to Challa, et al for “System, Method and Apparatus for Communicating Information Between a Mobile Communications Device and a Bar Code Reader”;
U.S. Pat. No. 7,693,744 to Forbes for “Optimised Messages Containing Barcode Information for Mobile Receiving Devices”; and
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0047613 by Funamoto, et al. for “Identification Barcode Assigning Method, Identity Verifying Method, Identification Barcode Assigning Device, Identity Verifying Device and Portable Terminal Device” which generates an identification barcode of a customer per store or event (i.e., serves as a concert/event ticket).